What to expect
This is Qatar’s second appearance at a Concacaf Gold Cup as a guest team. In 2021, the Asian champions made it all the way to the semi-finals under coach Felix Sanchez before losing to the US. Carlos Queiroz is in charge now, having left Iran, and is bringing a young and developing team. They are in the toughest group with Mexico and Honduras and first opponents will be Haiti.
What to expect
Saint Kitts and Nevis are the first team from the third tier of Concacaf’s Nations League to make it to the Gold Cup final. Qualifying via two penalty shoot out wins in the preliminary knock out rounds, they are in a group with the US, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago. The Trinidad game will be their biggest opportunity to get a result but this is a team that has already played twice and will be starting to get weary.
What to expect
Trinidad and Tobago qualified for the group stage directly but only after Nicaragua were banned for fielding an illegible player. The team does not have the star players of the past or is anything like the team that qualified for the 1998 World Cup, but it is rebuilding, slowly, under a Normalisation Committee. Its leagues have restarted and although there is little funding for the players, they are at least playing again.
May 22 – Ultras from Bulgaria’s Botev Plovdiv stormed the pitch following the team’s loss to Lokomotiv Sofia in the Bulgarian championship, attacking players and stripping them of their shirts.
May 22 – The acquisition of the new San Diego franchise in the MLS by an ownership group led by Mohamed Mansour has already been followed up with a statement of business intent with a deal announced with Elite Performance Partners (EPP) – a high-performance business that supports teams in elite sport.
May 22 – While Brazil has been plunged into a betting related match-fixing crisis, Argentinean clubs are moving deeper into the online gambling sponsorship market. Betsson has agreed a short sponsorship with Racing Club de Avellaneda for the 2023-24 season.
May 22 – At least 12 people have died after a crush at a football stadium in San Salvador, El Salvador, local authorities have said.
May 22 – The four nations in the Concacaf Nations League Finals to be played June 15-18 at the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, have released preliminary rosters of up to 60 players.
May 22 – Saudi Arabia is in talks over a $200 million sponsorship deal for the African Super League. A potential agreement could boost the Kingdom’s chances to land the hosting rights for the World Cup in the future.
Red Bull Arena, Harrison, New Jersey
The 25,000-capacity home to the New York Red Bulls of the MLS and the NJ/NY Gotham FC of the NWSL is situated in Harrison, New Jersey, seven miles west of Lower Manhattan, on the waterfront in the Riverbend district.
Originally planned to be built for the MetroStars in the MLS in 2004, various planning issues prevented the build from starting until the start of 2005 when drinks company Red Bull bought the MetroStars MLS franchise from Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG) and renamed the club.
Shell Energy Stadium, Houston, Texas
Home to MLS side the Houston Dynamo and the Houston Dash in the National Women’s Soccer League, the 22,039-capacity Shell Energy (formerly the BBVA Compass Stadium) was built as a soccer-specific stadium but has been used for lacrosse, rugby, and concerts.
Architecturally, the stadium features a faceted facade of expanded metal mesh with orange polycarbonate enclosed entrances and spectator facilities that reflects the industrial heritage of the East Downtown location.
Soldier Field, Chicago
The iconic Soldier Field stadium in Chicago,Illinois, will host the opening match of the 2023 Gold Cup between the USA and Jamaica on Saturday June 24.
The multi-purpose stadium opened in 1924 and was reconstructed in 2003. It has been the home of the Chicago Bears NFL team since 1971 and Chicago Fire FC in the MLS from 1998 to 2005 and since 2020.
With a capacity of 61,500 for American football,
May 19 – The Confederation of African Football (CAF) have announced a change in format for the African World Cup qualifiers for the 2026 finals following an executive committee meeting in Algiers, Algeria.
May 19 – After less than a year in his position, Paul Van Den Bulck (pictured) has resigned as the president of the Belgian FA (RBFA) due to tensions with the board of directors. He had ousted long serving Peter Bossaert as CEO two months previously.
May 19 – Dutch police have opened an investigation after families and friends of West Ham players were attacked at the Conference League semi-final against AZ Alkmaar.